This week’s special guest on the Hope Matrix is Abbey Johnson. Abbey is the Founder of Live Without Apologies, LLC. She is a child of God, a daughter, sister, friend, Naija, a Mental Health Advocate, passionate public servant and so much more. She created Live Without Apologies to inspire everyone to—“Live life unapologetically on YOUR terms, without judgment or validation from others. She had the idea for Live Without Apologies for over five years, however perfection paralysis prevented her from acting on it. Everything changed in October 2020. Abbey quit her dream job after battling depression, anxiety and feeling a lost sense of identity. Quitting was her freedom. When Abbey quit, she was ashamed and felt guilty, but she gave herself grace to step into the uncertainty of not knowing what came next. She was unemployed for four months. That period of stillness, reflection and listening to God allowed Abbey to rest, re-center, and rediscover her own voice, passions and aspirations. With that said, Live Without Apologies was birthed.
In Episode 15 of the Hope Matrix, Kathryn and Abbey discuss how life experiences, such as breakups, loss of identify, new jobs, and the pandemic can impact both hope levels and your hope journey. Abbey shares how navigating the intersectionalities of her own identity, including race and gender (as a Black Woman), culture (Nigerian-American), generational stereotypes & lived experience (Millennial), and personality (self-proclaimed introvert), helped her to return to a hopeful mindset. She also expands on how grace, living unapologetically, and God all helped her find herself and her hope in times of helplessness and despair (the two ingredients of hopelessness). Kathryn and Abbey also examine how the mental health movement differs in various countries around the world, and debate how we can continue to make mental health a global priority in the wake of COVID-19.
More About Live Without Apologies:
Live Without Apologies is more than a t-shirt brand. We promote a mindset shift. We are a lifestyle/education/advocacy brand that is working hard to encourage everyone to live life unapologetically, AND we are super passionate about raising awareness about the current “epidemic within a pandemic”—the mental health crisis globally!
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